November 7, 2025 • 6 min read • By Vibe Otter
The Realtor Who Gives 90% Away: Why We Admire Isatou Ceesay
As fellow business owners headquartered between Lynnwood and Seattle, we've met a lot of professionals who talk about giving back to their communities. But we've rarely encountered someone who embodies that commitment like Isatou Ceesay does.
Isatou runs IsatouPROPERTIES, a woman-owned real estate company she founded in 2018. But here's what stopped us in our tracks: she donates approximately 90% of her business profits to the IsatouProperties Welfare Funds, a charitable organization supporting vulnerable citizens in Gambia. This year alone, she's contributed over $80,000 to that cause.
Think about that for a moment. She's built a successful real estate business in one of the most competitive markets in the country, not to accumulate wealth for herself, but to create a pipeline of support for people half a world away who need it most.
A Different Kind of Real Estate Business
When you meet Isatou or work with her as a Seattle Realtor, you quickly realize she's not operating on the same timeline as most agents. While many realtors are focused on closing deals quickly, Isatou will work with clients for one to three years before they're ready to buy.
Yes, you read that right. Years.
This isn't because she's slow or inefficient. It's because she's actually teaching people how to build the financial foundation they need for successful homeownership. Many of her clients are first-generation homebuyers who don't speak English as their first language. She describes herself as "the bridge over the language barrier" for these families, and that's exactly what she does—patiently guiding them through every step of a process that can feel overwhelming even for native English speakers.
"I want to change the life of someone," Isatou says. "I want them to benefit from me because I have benefitted from many." This philosophy drives everything she does, from the years she invests in individual clients to the charitable work that consumes 90% of her business earnings.
Education as Empowerment
Beyond her client work, Isatou is deeply invested in financial education throughout the Lynnwood Realtor community and beyond. She's an instructor at the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, where she teaches courses on down payment assistance and state bond loans—the exact programs that can make homeownership possible for families who thought it was out of reach.
She also offers free weekly home buying education classes. During COVID-19, these moved online, but they're now returning to in-person sessions. These aren't sales pitches disguised as education. They're genuine efforts to help people understand the home buying process, improve their financial literacy, and make informed decisions about what might be the biggest purchase of their lives.
As business owners ourselves, we understand the value of time. The fact that Isatou dedicates hours every week to free education—with no immediate return on investment—speaks volumes about her priorities.
From Gambia to Seattle: The American Dream with Purpose
Isatou has been living in Washington for 20 years now, and she's been in real estate since 2008. For her, Seattle represents the American dream made real. "Living in Seattle creates this sense of power and confidence and freedom," she says. "My heart is so rich and happy."
But here's what makes her story so compelling: she's living that dream not just for herself, but as a means to lift others up. The IsatouProperties Welfare Funds, which she started back in 2002, has been flourishing alongside her business. Every successful transaction doesn't just mean a commission check—it means more resources flowing to vulnerable families in Gambia.
Think about the ripple effects here. A family in Seattle achieves homeownership, building generational wealth and stability. And that same transaction helps provide critical support to families in Gambia who are facing entirely different challenges. It's a beautiful cycle of mutual benefit that Isatou has architected through sheer force of will and commitment.
Recognition and Future Dreams
Isatou's work hasn't gone unnoticed. She was showcased by Business Impact NW's Celebrating Dreams in 2021 and has received support from the Washington Women's Business Center. But she's not resting on her laurels. She's actively working to learn more about marketing her business and has plans to eventually transform her company into a nonprofit organization—a move that would formalize her already extraordinary commitment to charitable work.
When you work with someone like Isatou Ceesay, you're not just getting a skilled real estate professional (though she certainly is that). You're participating in something larger: a business model that proves success doesn't have to be selfish, and that profit and purpose aren't mutually exclusive.
Why This Matters to Us
At Vibe Otter, we're constantly thinking about what it means to build a business that matters. We're not just interested in growth for growth's sake—we want to create something that adds value to our community and supports the people around us.
That's why Isatou's story resonates so deeply with us. She's operating at a level of generosity that most businesses would consider impossible or at least impractical. Ninety percent to charity? That's not just generous—it's transformative. It redefines what it means to be successful in business.
She's also addressing real barriers that exist in our community. Language access is a genuine challenge for many families trying to navigate complex financial and legal processes. The fact that Isatou is actively working to break down those barriers—spending years if necessary to ensure her clients truly understand what they're getting into—is exactly the kind of patient, human-centered approach we admire.
The Long Game
In an industry often criticized for prioritizing quick sales over client welfare, Isatou is playing a different game entirely. She's willing to invest years in a client relationship, knowing that the result will be someone who's not just a homeowner, but someone who truly understands and can sustain that homeownership.
That kind of patience is rare. That kind of commitment to education over transaction is remarkable. And that level of charitable giving? It's almost unheard of.
For those of us running businesses in the Seattle-Lynnwood area, Isatou Ceesay represents something we should all aspire to: building something successful not despite our values, but because of them. She's proven that you can create a thriving business while giving most of it away. She's shown that patience with clients isn't a liability—it's a strength. And she's demonstrated that breaking down language and cultural barriers isn't just the right thing to do—it's good business.
A Model Worth Following
We're not writing this because Isatou asked us to. We're writing it because her story deserves to be told. In a business environment that often celebrates ruthlessness and extraction, she's built something based on generosity and education. In an industry that can feel transactional, she's created something deeply relational.
Whether you're looking for a realtor, thinking about buying your first home, or just interested in how businesses can operate with purpose, Isatou Ceesay's approach offers a powerful model. She's living proof that you can build wealth in order to give it away, that you can be patient with people while still running a successful business, and that your highest purpose might be using your success to lift up others.
That's the kind of business owner we want to celebrate. That's the kind of professional we want in our community. And that's why we wanted to share her story with you.
Vibe Otter is a local business headquartered between Lynnwood and Seattle. We believe in highlighting the exceptional work being done by our neighbors and fellow business owners who are making our community stronger.